Cameras made in Japan
This is a Konica Auto-Reflex, a 35mm SLR camera produced by Konica of Japan starting in 1965. This model was the first in Konica’s long lived Autoreflex series and is the only one with a hyphenated name. It is also the only model that can seamlessly switch between shooting full…
This is a Nikkorex F, a 35mm Single Lens Reflex camera produced by Mamiya Optical Co. for Nippon Kogaku starting in 1962. The Nikkorex F was part of Nippon Kogaku’s Nikkorex line which was their first attempt at an entry level line of cameras and was the only one with…
This is a Tower 45, a 35mm rangefinder camera made by Nicca Camera Co. Ltd. of Japan for sale by the American department store chain, Sears, Roebuck, & Co. The Tower 45 first appeared in the 1957 Sears Camera Catalog and featured a redesigned top plate with a film advance…
This is a Petri 1.9 Color Corrected Super, a 35mm rangefinder camera made by Kuribayashi Shashin Kōgyō K.K. starting in 1960. This camera is part of Kuribayashi’s long running series of 35mm rangefinders starting with the Petri 35, which were produced between 1954 and 1961. There are a huge number…
This is a Kodak Professional DCS Pro SLR/n, a digital SLR camera produced in cooperation with Nikon and Kodak starting in 2004. This camera was part of Kodak’s Professional lineup of DSLRs and is notable as being Nikon and Kodak’s first digital camera with a “full frame” 24mm x 36mm…
In November 2017, I reviewed the Kowa SET-R, a 35mm leaf shutter SLR made by Kowa Optical Works of Japan between the years of 1968 and 1970. That camera was my third Kowa SLR, the first two being DOA when I received them. As they say “third time’s a charm”,…
This is a Canon T80, a 35mm SLR camera produced by Canon from April 1985 to June 1986. It was Canon’s first attempt at Auto Focus in a SLR, using three special AC lenses developed for it which had a self contained Auto Focus motor in each lens. The T80…
This is a Graflex Graphic 35 Jet, a 35mm rangefinder camera produced by Kowa Optical Works of Japan for Graflex, Inc of Rochester, NY starting in 1961. The Graphic 35 Jet is an evolution of the earlier Graphic 35 which itself evolved from the Ciro 35 and Cee-Ay 35 cameras. …
This is a Canonet G-III QL17 fixed lens 35mm rangefinder camera. It was the last in a line of successful Canonet rangefinder cameras starting with the original Canonet from 1961. This model was made between 1972 and the summer of 1982 and sold over 1.2 million copies worldwide. The G-III in…
This is the Fujica Fujicarex II, a 35mm SLR camera produced by Fuji Photo Optical Co., Ltd. starting in 1963. It uses a Citizen central leaf shutter, and has shutter priority automatic exposure via the selenium exposure meter mounted in front of the prism. Although not a true interchangeable lens…
This is an Olympus Trip 35, a 35mm scale focus camera made by Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. between the years 1967 and 1984. The Trip was an extremely popular compact camera and is credited as one of the first truly successful point and shoot cameras, ushering in a new age…
Choosing your favorite camera is not an easy task. Much like parents who have more than one child, picking which one you like better isn’t an easy thing to do. Thankfully, much like parenting, there’s no reason you can’t have two favorite cameras. But this is the Internet and people…
